Want To Become a Top Fashion Buyer?

The Ultimate Guide.

By Katie Guest

Growing up, I always dreamed of being in the fashion industry. While many of my high school peers were clothed in the latest Abercrombie line, I was hunting through racks in the local thrift shop - visualizing ways I could put an outfit together and pull off future trends using vintage finds. I knew I didn't want to be a designer, because as much as I enjoyed the creative side of fashion, I was very much rooted in the logic behind those trends. It wasn't until I graduated college where I explored the idea of buying. 

My first thought was “I love to shop, I’d be great” but what I didn't realize is that buying is much more than “shopping.” It’s combining the art of sales history, consumer insights, trends and creativity all while working with various aspects of the business. When you really focus on these tactics, you are able to create a product that sells itself to the consumer, because what the consumer doesn't realize when they walk into a store, is that that every detail is thought out for them. From the clothing on the mannequin to the clothing on the store associate, to the front and forward table and the price tag. It’s all created with a precise science. That is the art of buying and merchandising

What is needed to be a buyer: 

Strategy:

In order for you to do your job, you need to have a holistic view of your brand, who the target audience is. Without the background of understanding your consumer, it would be like blindly picking an acquaintance’s outfit without knowing their style. If you are with a brand starting out, you’ll need to determine your consumer, if you are with a well-known brand, sales history of what drove revenue will help determine this.

Collaboration:

In buying, your hands are in many pots. You not only are working with the product team, but you need to make sure the story the product is telling within your corporate walls makes its way to the consumer- whether that be in brick & mortar, wholesale, or e-commerce. It’s your job to provide the training tools to get the associates excited, get marketing excited, and get your sales reps excited. This collaboration is key to maximize sales.

Analysis:

In order to create a revenue driving product, it’s important for you to collect selling history. One of my “ah ha” moments was when I stopped thinking of what I personally liked and started analyzing the top revenue driving product. What common themes are in these products, is there a way to blend the top styles together, or blend top attributes with trend forward attributes? This is the fun part of the job. After analyzing you can brief into the product team to show what the needs are for your brand.

Intuition:

Honestly, sometimes it takes good ole’ intuition to know when a product will succeed. It’s the risks that have made brands become who they are, after all they are carving their own path. For Timberland, the idea of waterproof leather was unheard of. It wasn’t until our founder thought “out of the box” to make our waterproof wheat boot and for buyers to take the risk. Sometimes it pays to give that unique product a try into market.

These are just some of the many key characteristics and traits you need to be a buyer. If you find yourself both right brained and left brained, this position is the perfect blend of creative and crunching numbers. And when you see the product you briefed in come to life and sold in stores, it is the best feeling. In a way, you do feel like you are “shopping”, but a lot of work goes into the haul.